surviving motherhood in the “middle ages”

Witness November 4, 2008

Today I happened to be at the mall. As I was getting Baby out of the car and into the stroller, I noticed a mother changing her child’s diaper in back of her SUV. A little later a woman parked next to her and came out of the car and said something to the mother. As it turned out, the woman was mentioning the shopping cart that was between both cars. I guess it was the mother’s cart and the woman wanted her to either move it or be careful not to bang her car. The mother did not look happy.

A few seconds later, the woman walked away and the mother finished changing her child’s diaper and was putting the child into the car seat. Then I saw the mother walk around to the front of the woman’s car (on the driver’s side) and deposit something on the front windshield. Well, of course, my first guess was…a dirty diaper! Yikes! I happened to glance at the windshield when I left the mall and it sure looked like a diaper to me.

Frankly, I couldn’t believe what happened! I was shocked and disappointed in the mother. Okay, I don’t know if the woman was being rude or mean to the mother but I don’t think “getting even” is the answer. For one thing, why would this mother stoop so low? It’s downright immature and mean. Secondly, it sets a poor example for her children. What is she teaching? If someone says something you don’t want to hear, you have the right to do something mean back to them to get even.

Boy, if everyone treated everyone else like that, where would we all be as human beings? I was truly disappointed as a human being but I was even more disappointed as a mother!